NiCE (NASDAQ:NICE) Shares Gap Up After Earnings Beat

NiCE (NASDAQ:NICE)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $98.50, but opened at $106.39. NiCE shares last traded at $108.40, with a volume of 719,134 shares.

The technology company reported $3.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.01. NiCE had a return on equity of 18.48% and a net margin of 20.78%.The firm had revenue of $786.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $779.95 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.02 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. NiCE has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.850-11.050 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.450-2.550 EPS.

NiCE announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 19th that permits the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the technology company to repurchase up to 9.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Key Stories Impacting NiCE

Here are the key news stories impacting NiCE this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results slightly beat expectations and showed strength in cloud business (cloud revenue +14% Y/Y), driven by AI-related demand—this was the main catalyst cited for the upside. Zacks: NICE Q4 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: NiCE raised FY2026 EPS guidance to $10.85–$11.05, above Wall Street consensus, which supports a constructive longer‑term earnings outlook. FY2026 Guidance (press release/slide deck)
• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a $600 million share repurchase program (up to ~9.6% of shares outstanding), signaling management believes shares are undervalued and providing buyback-driven EPS support. RTT News: Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Sell‑side support remains: Rosenblatt reaffirmed a “buy” and $155 price target, showing continued analyst conviction among some firms. Benzinga: Rosenblatt rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed overall—Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating with a $120 target, reflecting differing views on near‑term execution vs. long‑term opportunity. Benzinga: Wedbush rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 earnings and the conference call-transcript are available for deeper read‑throughs of product traction, channel commentary and AI pipeline details. MSN: Q4 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 2026 guidance came in below Wall Street expectations (EPS $2.45–$2.55 vs. consensus ~2.76 and revenue guidance below consensus), creating near‑term execution uncertainty that could cap upside. Q1 Guidance (slide deck/press materials)
• Negative Sentiment: RBC trimmed its price target (from $175 to $150) despite keeping an outperform rating—this reduction tempers some upside expectations from peer analysts. The Fly: RBC target cut

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on NICE. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 price target on shares of NiCE in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on NiCE from $175.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Citigroup lifted their target price on NiCE from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of NiCE in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of NiCE in a research report on Friday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NiCE has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $151.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. RPD Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of NiCE during the fourth quarter valued at about $100,154,000. Brandes Investment Partners LP bought a new stake in NiCE during the 4th quarter worth approximately $79,944,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of NiCE by 116.1% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,226,920 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $207,238,000 after purchasing an additional 659,170 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NiCE in the third quarter worth approximately $88,599,000. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of NiCE by 36.0% in the fourth quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 880,059 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $99,482,000 after purchasing an additional 233,080 shares in the last quarter. 63.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

NiCE Stock Up 5.5%

The company has a 50-day moving average of $111.38 and a 200-day moving average of $124.72. The company has a market cap of $7.44 billion, a PE ratio of 12.17, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.96.

NiCE Company Profile

NiCE Ltd is a global software provider specializing in solutions for customer engagement, financial crime prevention, public safety, workforce optimization and border security. Its product offerings include cloud-native and on-premises platforms that leverage advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and automation to help organizations enhance customer experiences, streamline operations and ensure regulatory compliance. NiCE’s portfolio addresses the needs of contact centers, financial institutions, government agencies and enterprises across a broad range of industries.

In customer engagement, NiCE delivers tools for omnichannel interaction management, real-time and historical analytics, workforce management, and quality management.